Method for detecting change in oxygen partial pressure based on metal/metal oxide phase transformations

ABSTRACT

The invention is a sensing method and an oxygen sensor for detecting a change of oxygen partial pressure in an ambient atmosphere. The sensor includes a sensing material selected from metal or its oxides which, when at an elevated temperature and exposed to a gas containing E a changing partial pressures of oxygen, is capable of changing from one metal or metal oxide phase to another such oxide phase and vice versa. Associated with such phase change is a change in a measurable physical property of the material. Heating elements, connectable to a power source, able to maintain a temperature gradient across said sensing material are necessary to maintain the material, during active sensing operation, in at least two of the phases defining a boundary line therebetween which is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the temperature gradient. The boundary line traverses longitudinally along the axis in response to changes in the oxygen partial pressure of the ambient atmosphere to which the sensing material is exposed. The sensor also includes a device for furnishing an output signal in response to the traversal of the boundary line across a fixed detecting location of the sensing material. Hence, the invention senses the passage of the boundary line at some specific location in the material to detect a specific P 02 ,c.

Reference is made to related application Serial No. 08/905,372 titled"Metal Oxide Oxygen Sensors Based On Phase Transformation."

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to oxygen sensors which detect changes inoxygen partial pressure in an ambient atmosphere based on phase changesof a material, e.g., cobalt oxide which can change from one phase ofcobalt oxide, Co₃ O₄, to another, CoO.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Oxygen sensors have received widespread attention particularly forapplications like combustion control, process control, and medicalapplications. In the automotive area, oxygen sensors are used to controlthe Air-to-Fuel Ratio (A/F) of internal combustion engines. The greatmajority of present day automobiles employ an electrochemical-typeoxygen sensor to control the A/F ratio. Generally this ratio iscontrolled at the stoichiometric value, about 14.4-14.7, where thesocalled three-way catalysts have the greatest efficiency foreliminating regulated emissions (hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, andoxides of nitrogen) from the exhaust gas. A conventional automotiveoxygen sensor, sometimes called a lambda sensor, includes anoxygen-ion-conducting solid electrolyte, generally ZrO₂, in the form ofa thimble with porous platinum electrodes deposited on the outside andthe inside surfaces of the thimble. The inside of the thimble is exposedto ambient air as a reference atmosphere, whereas the outside of thethimble is exposed to the exhaust gas. When the thimble is heated (e.g.temperatures higher than 300° C.) and there is a difference in theoxygen partial pressures P₀₂ between the two sides of the ZrO₂ thimble,an electromotive force (emf) is generated between the two Pt electrodeswith a value given by the Nernst equation: emf=(RT/kT) ln(P₀₂, exh/P₀₂,air).

When the sensor is placed in the exhaust gas of a vehicle, and the A/Fis varied, the sensor emf shows a large and abrupt change at thestoichiometric A/F value as shown in FIG. 1. The reason is that thethermodynamic equilibrium oxygen partial pressure in the exhaust gaschanges by many orders of magnitude at the stoichiometric A/F ratio.Away from stoichiometry, the emf varies only slowly with A/F because thepartial oxygen pressure also changes only slowly with A/F.

Another type of a high temperature oxygen sensor useful in automotiveapplications is a resistive-type sensor based on TiO₂. At elevatedtemperatures, the electrical resistivity of metal oxides like TiO₂,SrTiO₃ and CoO depends on the oxygen partial pressure P₀₂ in the ambientgas atmosphere. This dependence is, however, generally weak. Forexample, for TiO₃, SrTiO₃ and CoO, this dependence is only a positive ornegative 1/4 to 1/6 power dependence. In spite of their weak P₀₂sensitivity, TiO₂ sensors are useful for stoichiometric A/F controlbecause they also exhibit a large and abrupt electrical resistancechange at the stoichiometric A/F value as the result of the large changein exhaust gas P₀₂ near stoichiometry.

In addition to stoichiometric oxygen sensors, there is a growing needfor oxygen sensors that can measure A/F away from stoichiometry, inparticular in the lean A/F region where excess oxygen is employed. TheseA/F ratios are often 19-40. Many engines are being modified for leanoperation because of the fuel economy advantages which can be achieved.These sensors must have high P₀₂ sensitivity because the oxygen partialpressure in the exhaust gas does not change appreciably with A/F in thisregion. As discussed above, the conventional ZrO₂ lambda sensor and theresistive-type sensors previously mentioned have very limited sensingability away from stoichiometry. In addition the resistive-type sensorgenerally have a strong dependence on temperature.

On the other hand, another type of sensor, i.e., a ZrO₂ based sensoroperating in the oxygen pumping mode, has much higher sensitivity (e.g.1st-power P₀₂ dependence) away from stoichiometry. Examples of this typeof sensor are the Universal Exhaust Gas Oxygen Sensor (UEGO) and theLean Exhaust Gas Oxygen Sensor (LEGO) based on two ZrO₂ cells. Thesesensors are structurally complex and consequently expensive tomanufacture, which limits their widespread commercialization. As aresult, efforts are continuing to develop a simple sensor having highoxygen sensitivity for A/F measurement away from stoichiometry.

It is known that some metal oxides change to another metal oxide phasewhen the temperature or the P₀₂ are changed appropriately. For example,at a given temperature, CoO is stable at low P₀₂, but at higher P₀₂, ittransforms to Co₃ O₄ as shown in FIG. 2. Such metal-oxide to metal-oxidephase transitions are also generally accompanied by large changes intheir electrical resistivity which can make these materials useful foroxygen sensors. In the case of cobalt oxide, the resistance decreases byalmost two orders of magnitude when CoO changes to Co₃ O₄. FIG. 3 showsresults of the large stepwise changes in the resistance of a porouscobalt : oxide ceramic as a function of P₀₂ at several temperaturesassociated with the phase change from CoO to Co₃ O₄.

The resistivity of Co₃ O₄ is independent of P₀₂, whereas the resistivityof CoO decreases with increasing P₀₂ according to the relationship R=Aexp(E/kT) (P₀₂).sup. 1/4. This property of CoO has been utilized infabricating oxygen sensors as disclosed by G. L. Beaudoin et al., SAEPaper #760312, Feb. 23, 1976 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,028 to K. R. Laudet al. For example, if the temperature of the material is kept at sometemperature in the range 900°-1000° C., the resistance of CoO can beused to measure changes in the P₀₂ of ambient air, or changes in the A/Fratio of internal combustion engines, e.g., gasoline and diesel, in thelean region. This type of prior art sensor consisted of a porous CoOceramic with two Pt wires embedded into the ceramic, and inserted into aminiature cylindrical furnace to maintain the temperature of the CoOelement at a constant high temperature. FIG. 4 shows the resistance ofsuch a CoO ceramic as a function of the A/F ratio of an internalcombustion engine in the lean region from A/F=14.8 to A/F=18. The oxygensensitivity of this sensor, however, is seen from FIG. 4 to be low. Thatis, the resistance changes by a factor of only about 2 when the oxygenpartial pressure in the exhaust gas charges from about 5×10⁻³ atm.(A/F=14.8) to about 6×10⁻² atm. (A/F=18).

The large change in the resistance of a ceramic due to the conversion ofthe material from one oxide phase to the other, however, may be used tomake a more sensitive oxygen sensor. And the oxygen partial pressure inthe ambient gas can be determined, for example, by ramping the sampletemperature between two appropriate values and monitoring thetemperature for which the resistance changes by a large amount and thenusing the phase diagram of FIG. 2 to determine the ambient P₀₂. When onewants to use this sensor to control the oxygen partial pressure at aspecific value P₀₂,c, the temperature of the sample is kept constant atthe value T_(c) for which the sample converts from one oxide phase tothe other at that specific oxygen partial pressure.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,182 to Schmidberger discloses a sensor formonitoring the oxygen content in oxygen rich exhaust gases from furnacesbased on material phase transformations, more particularly from metal tometal oxide and vice versa. The oxygen sensitive material is a palladiumlayer maintained at a specific high temperature, e.g. 700° C., wherebypalladium metal (Pd) changes phase to palladium oxide (PdO) when theoxygen partial pressure exceeds a specific "critical" value, P₀₂,c. Itis disclosed that the phase change from Pd to PdO, and back, causes achange in the material's conductivity by a factor of about 20 which isused to provide a sensor output signal.

Phase transitions from a metal to metal oxide, or from a metal oxide toanother metal oxide are known to be generally accompanied by significanthysteresis unless the P₀₂ is changed to a value substantially larger (orsmaller) than P₀₂,c. Hysteresis is related to the time that it takes forthe material to change from one phase to another and is believed to beassociated with a necessary nucleation process, i.e., formation ofcritical size nuclei of the new phase. The presence of hysteresis inphase transformation type sensors would negatively impact theirusefulness since they would have relatively long response time.

The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of prior sensors andprovides an oxygen sensor useful for automotive applications havingexcellent sensitivity and response time in a variety of A/F ratios,including lean-burn engines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a sensor for detecting a change of oxygenpartial pressure in an ambient atmosphere. The sensor includes a sensingmaterial which is selected from metal or its oxides and which, when atan elevated temperature and exposed to a gas containing a changingpartial pressures of oxygen, is capable of changing from one metal ormetal oxide phase to another such oxide phase and vice versa andassociated therewith a change in a measurable physical property thereof.The sensor also includes a heating means connectable to a power sourceable to maintain a temperature gradient across the sensing materialwhereby the material exists, during active sensing operation, in atleast two of said phases defining a boundary line therebetween generallyperpendicular to the axis of the temperature gradient. The boundary linetraverses longitudinally along the axis in response to changes in theoxygen partial pressure of the ambient atmosphere. Exemplary of thesemeasurable physical properties are electrical resistivity, opticalabsorption, and mass.

The sensor also includes a means for furnishing an output signal inresponse to the traversal of the boundary line across a fixed detectinglocation of the sensing material. For example, when such means isrelated to detecting changes in electrical resistance associated withthe boundary line traversal across a fixed detecting location, the meansmay involve spaced apart electrical means at the detecting location formeasuring changes in electrical resistance (or alternately conductivity)of the material therebetween, the means being located within the sensingmaterial or on the same or opposing sides of the sensing materialsurfaces and optimally being generally centrally located along the axisof the temperature gradient.

In another embodiment, the present invention is a method for detecting achange of oxygen partial pressure in an ambient atmosphere. This methodincludes the steps of locating a sensor, as described above, in contactwith an ambient atmosphere containing oxygen. The sensing material ispresent according to the method in at least two phases, during activesensing operation, defining a boundary line therebetween, the phasesbeing selected from metal and oxides thereof wherein at least one of thephases is an oxide phase as defined above. The method further comprisesthe steps of maintaining a temperature gradient across the sensingmaterial so as to maintain the material, during active sensingoperation, in at least two phases defining a boundary line therebetweengenerally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the temperaturegradient wherein the boundary line traverses longitudinally along thisaxis in response to changes in the oxygen partial pressure of theambient atmosphere, and furnishing an output signal in response totraversal of the boundary line across a fixed detecting location of thesensing material. Preferably, the furnishing step comprises furnishingsuch signal based on detecting a change of electric resistance of thematerial at the fixed detecting location between spaced apart electricalmeans affixed within or on the surface of the same or opposing sides ofthe sensing material. The fixed detecting location of the sensingmaterial optimally is generally centrally located along the axis of thetemperature gradient. The output signal would thus be furnished inresponse to the traversal of the boundary along the longitudinal axis ofthe temperature gradient in a region between the spaced apart electricalmeans.

The oxygen sensor of the present invention advantageously provides arelatively low cost sensor with excellent sensitivity and response time.In addition, the sensor is much less complex to fabricate than manypresent sensors because it does not need the high quality seal betweenexhaust gas and air.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a graph showing the measured emf of a conventional automotiveZrO₂ oxygen sensor (lambda-sensor-type) as a function of the Air-to-FuelRatio of an engine.

FIG. 2 is a P₀₂ vs. T graph of the phase diagram for the Co-O system.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the stepwise change in resistance of a cobaltoxide ceramic sample as a function of P₀₂ at several temperatures due tothe phase change from CoO to Co₃ O₄.

FIG. 4 is a graph of the resistance (ohms) vs. Air-to-Fuel ratio for aCoO oxygen sensor according to prior art.

FIG. 5 is a schematic of an embodiment of an oxygen sensor according tothe present invention where the measured physical property of thesensing material is its electrical resistivity.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, & 5C are schematics of alternate embodiments of a portionof a FIG. 5 type oxygen sensor wherein the positioning of the electricalcontacts has been modified.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the resistance (ohms) response of the FIG. 5sensor to varying P₀₂ or O₂ concentration. The resistance response of aFIG. 4 prior art CoO sensor is also shown for comparison.

FIG. 7 is a schematic of an embodiment of an oxygen sensor according tothe present invention where the measured physical property of thesensing material is its optical absorption.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The oxygen sensor disclosed herein is useful for detecting a change ofoxygen partial pressure in an ambient atmosphere. It includes a sensingmaterial which is selected from metal or its oxides which, when at anelevated temperature and exposed to a gas containing a changing partialpressures of oxygen, is capable of changing from one metal or metaloxide phase to another such oxide phase and vice versa. Associated withsuch phase changes are changes in a measurable physical property, suchas electrical resistance.

The sensing material may be a single metal, oxide thereof, or a compoundof two or more metals or oxides thereof. It may also be a mixture ofsuch materials. Preferred metals include, but are not limited to, metalslike copper, palladium, indium, ruthenium, and rhodium; 3d transitionmetals; and rare earth elements. Exemplary of such 3d transition metalsare titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, and nickel toname a few. Exemplary rare earth elements include La, Ce, Pr, Ni, Sm,Eu, Gd, Er etc. The sensing material may be a ternary and higher ordercompounds of the above metals with other elements like alkaline earthelements, e.g., calcium, strontium, or magnesium or oxide thereof suchas CoMgO and SrFeO, or such compounds formed with rare earth elementssuch as La₂ CuO₃, La₂ CuO₃, PrFeO₃. Still other ternary and higher ordercompounds or oxides thereof of rare earth elements with other elements,e.g., Y_(m) Ba_(n) Cu_(k) O_(x) may also be employed herein. Mixtures ofany of these materials would also be useful. The sensing materialsuseful in this invention are not limited to those listed above but maybe any metal material or oxide thereof which undergoes a phase change inresponse to changing partial oxygen pressures and has associatedtherewith a change in a measurable physical property.

As an example, the sensing material may be cobalt, which can convert tocobalt oxide (CoO or Co₃ O₄) depending on the temperature and partialpressure of the oxygen. That is, as seen in FIG. 2, the particular phaseof the Co--O material depends on the temperature and partial oxygenpressure to which the material is exposed. FIG. 2 shows a part of theP₀₂ -T phase diagram for this system, the solid and the dotted linesseparate the Co, CoO, and Co₃ O₄ phases. For (T, P₀₂) pairscorresponding to the left of the solid line, the sensing material existsonly as metallic cobalt. Between the solid and the dotted lines, thematerial exists as CoO; whereas, to the right of the dotted line, thematerial exists only as Co₃ O₄ On the solid and dotted lines thematerial is a mixture of the two adjacent phases.

In the present invention, the sensing material may be present in bulkform or as a layer on a substrate, wherein for example the substrate isplanar. The layer may be one having a longer length than width. Thesubstrate may be selected from any suitable material, electricallyinsulating or non-insulating, which will be dependent on the particularuse of the sensor as will be described in further detail below.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the present invention oxygen sensor 10which is based on resistance measurement. A layer 12 of the metal (e.g.Co) or the metal oxide (CoO) is deposited on an electrically insulatingsubstrate 11. The layer 12 in this embodiment is longer than it is wide.If electrical resistance of the layer is the property being monitored,then the substrate must be electrically insulating. Substrate 11 can beone of many materials known in the art such as alumina, silica,sapphire, and silicon nitride. Still others will be apparent in view ofthe present disclosure. Layer 12 can be deposited by one of many methodsknown in the art such as sputtering, electron-beam evaporation, laserablation, chemical vapor deposition, sol-gel techniques, and thick filmprinting. Generally, this layer would preferably be a few microns thick.Thin layers minimize sensor response time limitations arising from theneed of P₀₂ -related lattice defects in the material (e.g., Co ions inCoO, or O vacancies in Tio₂) to diffuse throughout the entire layer. Onthe other hand, thick layers tend to increase the longevity of thesensors. The sensing material of the present invention preferably has adensity which is at least 60% of theoretical. If the layer is relativelythin (a few microns or less), 100% density is acceptable. If the layeris thick (e.g., several tens of microns or more) substantial porosityand small grain size (e.g., a few microns) are generally needed in orderto decrease the distance over which the ions need to diffuse and thus todecrease the sensor response. Preferably, the sensing material has anaverage particle diameter less than 10 microns.

We found that it is critical to the present invention that the sensoralso includes a heating means, connectable to a power source, so that atemperature gradient is maintained across the sensing material duringits operation. As disclosed above, during the active sensing operation,according to the present invention, the sensing material exists in atleast two of the materials phases defining a boundary line therebetweengenerally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the temperaturegradient. This temperature gradient is necessary in order to maintainthe presence of the at least two different phases, which may be, e.g.,cobalt metal and cobalt oxide, or two forms of cobalt oxide in thematerial. The material may exist in more than two separate phases duringoperation, for example for a Co--O material, the concurrent phases maybe Co/CoO/Co₃ O₄, with boundary lines between adjacent two phases. It isto be understood in this invention, that these phases exist at differentplaces in the material with contact between the phases being only at theboundary line between phases. That is, these phases are not intermingledat locations in the material as will be further explained and understoodfrom the figures. For example, in FIG. 5, the phases are designated Aand B with boundary line 22 therebetween. These phases are kept separatefrom one another by means of the use of the heating means whichcritically maintains a temperature gradient across the sensing material.When the partial pressure of oxygen changes in the ambient atmosphere towhich the material is exposed, phase formation takes place. One phaseincreases in size and the other correspondingly decreases in size.Hence, the boundary line traverses along the longitudinal axis of thetemperature gradient in response to the change in the oxygen partialpressure. For example, according to one aspect, if there are two phasespresent, CoC) and Co₃ O₄, as the sensor is exposed to changes in oxygenpartial pressure, one of the phase increases in size and the othercorrespondingly decreases so that the boundary line between the phasesmoves to a different location on the sensing material.

When materials such as cobalt change from one phase to another phase,there is an associated hysteresis effect. This hysteresis effect isusually associated with the nucleation process required for phasetransformation, i.e., the initial formation of critical size nuclei ofthe new phase. Thus in a system wherein the material is in one phase andthen changes to another phase, hysteresis would result in a delay offormation of the new phase until critical size nuclei of the new phaseform. The length of delay would be tied to the particular material.However, by maintaining a temperature gradient across the material thematerial is maintained in at least two forms in the material and slowresponse time associated with hysteresis can be avoided. In operation,it may be desirable to expose the sensor comprised of a metal likecobalt to oxygen to initiate formation of an oxide phase or phases priorto actual operation of the sensor, i.e., to pre-condition the sensor,e.g., prior to insertion in an automotive exhaust gas system asdescribed in more detail below. This may be done, e.g., by exposing thedeposited material to a temperature distribution in the range 700°-1000°C. in air.

The sensor would also include a means for furnishing an output signal inresponse to the traversal of the boundary line across a fixed detectinglocation of the sensing material. Since the phase change has associatedtherewith a change in a measurable physical property, the furnishingmeans detects the change in the physical property of the material at thefixed detecting location and hence the traversal of the boundary linepast this fixed detecting location. Optimally this detecting location onthe sensing material is of limited small size and optimally generallycentrally located along the longitudinal axis of the temperaturegradient and in some detecting embodiments, perpendicular thereto. Whileit is preferred that the detecting location is centrally located, it isonly necessary that the detecting location not be at the ends near theextremes of the temperature gradient. Exemplary of these measurablephysical properties are electrical resistivity, optical absorption, andmass. Still other will be apparent to those skilled in the art in viewof the present disclosure.

If desired to measure the phase change based on changes in electricalresistivity of the material resulting from changing oxygen partialpressure in the ambient atmosphere, it may be accomplished as shown inFIG. 5. In one embodiment of the present invention planar oxygen sensor,shown in FIG. 5, two electrical contacts 13 and 14 for resistancemeasurement are deposited on the two opposing narrow surfaces ofmaterial layer 12 along a line perpendicular to the length of the layer(which corresponds also to the longitudinal axis of the temperaturegradient in this embodiment) and generally in the middle of the layer.These contacts 13 and 14 could alternately be deposited, e.g., asrelatively closely spaced parallel strips 26 and 28 on one of the planarfaces as shown in FIG. 5A, or one side as shown in FIG. 5B as 60 and 62,on the same planar face as shown in FIG. 5C as 64 and 66, or even asparallel strips (not shown), that is, one on one planar face and theother on an opposing planar face. The contacts could also be locatedwithin the sensing layer such that the region between the contacts wouldencompass the traversal of the boundary line during active sensingoperation. Still other ways to detect the movement of the boundary line22 associated with changes in oxygen partial pressure would be apparentto those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure.

As would be appreciated by those skilled in the art in view of thepresent disclosure, the fixed detecting location defined by contacts 13and 14 could be located at different places along the longitudinal axisof material 12 closer to either end of the material layer. Nearer thecenter ("generally centrally located") is however preferred because itis easier then to optimize sensor sensitivity and wide P₀₂ range ofoperation as will be discussed later in this invention. Thus, by"generally centrally located" is meant that the detecting location isnot at the ends of the sensing material at the extreme temperatures butlocated somewhere along the temperature gradient axis through which theboundary is expected to traverse during sensor operation. These contacts13 and 14 in the configuration of FIG. 5 would optimally be generallyalong a line perpendicular to the temperature gradient axis, but thisneed not be exact. Electrical leads 15 and 16 are also deposited on thesubstrate 11 to connect contacts 13 and 14 to the electrical pads 17 and18 where a voltage or a current is connected from an external source forthe resistance measurement. Electrical contacts, leads and pads are madefrom a high temperature conductor such as platinum. These electricalmeans are able to furnish an output signal in response to the traversalof the boundary line corresponding to a phase change of the sensingmaterial effected by the changing oxygen partial pressure of the sensingmaterial in a region between the electrical means.

Further in this FIG. 5 embodiment, an electrical heater 19, made forexample of platinum, is deposited on the back side of substrate 11 toraise the temperature of sensor 10 to the desired values. Heater 19 isconstructed in such a way that it delivers different electrical power todifferent parts of the substrate so that a temperature gradient isestablished along the length of sensing material layer 12. Thecriticality of maintaining a temperature gradient across the sensingmaterial has been discussed in detail previously. Consequently, thetemperature T₂ at one end 20 of the sensing material layer is higherthan the temperature T₁ at the other end 21 of layer 12. The temperatureof the two contacts 13 and 14 can be measured and controlled with anytemperature sensing element, many being well known in the art. Forexample, a thermistor can be deposited on the substrate 11 near contacts13 and 14. If needed, more temperature sensing elements can be depositedon substrate 11 to better monitor and control the temperature gradientacross sensor layer 12.

During the operation of invention oxygen sensor 10 for measuring aspecific partial oxygen pressure P₀₂,c, the power to heater 19 isadjusted so that the temperature T_(m) at the two electrical contacts 13and 14 is equal to T_(c), the temperature which corresponds to thetransition from one oxide phase to the other at the oxygen partialpressure P₀₂,c. For a range of P₀₂ around P₀₂,c, sensing material layer12 contains at least two distinct phase sections, such as metal oxidephases A and B, e.g. CoO and Co₃ O₄, respectively, one to the left ofand another to the right of the boundary line 22, which is seen as thedivision or separation of the two phases. This boundary line 22 isgenerally perpendicular to the temperature gradient (in this embodiment,perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of material layer 12). As can beseen from FIG. 5, these phases A and B exist concurrently, i.e., at thesame time, in the material but at distinct places in the sensingmaterial.

In the case of T2 being higher than T₁, and if the oxygen partialpressure increases, the boundary line 22 will move to the left as moreof phase B (Co₃ O₄) forms. If the resistance between contacts 13 and 14is monitored, the resistance shows a large jump as the boundary line 22passes by the two contacts which happens whenever the ambient P₀₂ isvaried through the value P₀₂,c. This jump is shown in FIG. 6 for theCoO/Co₃ O₄ system. In this example, the T-gradient along the layer isconstant with T₁ =860° C. and T₂ =900° C. Hysteresis is avoided in thiscase because the two phases always are present and the nucleation of thenew phase is not needed. It is apparent that, a different value of P₀₂,ccan be detected by choosing another appropriate temperature at theposition of the contacts 13 and 14.

The resistance of the sensing element between contacts 13 and 14 can bemeasured by methods well known in the art. For example, a current can besent through contacts 13 and 14 and the measured voltage drop betweenthese contacts can be used to calculate the resistance of the sensingmaterial between these contacts; or a voltage can be applied to thesensing material element through a voltage divider circuit; or theresistance between 13 and 14 can be one leg of a conventional resistancebridge. Still other configuration may be used as would be apparent tothose skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure. For example,two additional contacts can be deposited one on each end of the sensingmaterial and used to apply a voltage or the current. Contacts 13 and 14are then used only to measure the voltage drop across them. The contacts13 and 14 in this later embodiment would have to be offset relative toone another, i.e., not along the same perpendicular to the temperaturegradient.

The type and magnitude of the temperature gradient in the sensor 10depends on the application. In general, the smaller is the T-gradient,the higher is the accuracy of the sensor. If the T-gradient is constantalong the sensing material layer 12, a smaller T-gradient means that thedifference between T₁ and T₂ is smaller. In that case, the range ofallowable variation of P₀₂ that preserves both phases in the layer issmaller. A typical P₀₂ range is one that covers an order of magnitude,that is the ratio of the maximum and minimum P₀₂ is 10. The temperaturesT₁ and T₂ at the two ends of layer 12 corresponding to these maximum andminimum P₀₂ can be determined from the T-P₀₂ phase diagram (e.g., FIG. 2for Co--O system). If, during sensor operation, the ambient P₀₂unexpectedly changes to a value outside the allowable P₀₂ range, thematerial may become a single phase, i.e., so that one of the other twophases in sensing layer 12 disappears and the sensor is not able toactively sense. In this case, when the ambient P₀₂ returns to a normalvalue within the allowable P₀₂ range, the sensor needs some extra timefor the second phase to again form. Nevertheless, after this delay, thesensor will become fully operational and return to active sensing. Ahigh accuracy around the desired value P₀₂,c combined with a wide rangeof allowable P₀₂ may be achieved by generating a special non-constantT-gradient along sensing material layer 12. For example, the heater andthe structure can be designed so that the T-gradient is small near thecenter of layer 12 and very large at the two ends of layer 12. From thisdiscussion, it is apparent that the center of layer 12 is a convenientlocation for the contact pads 13 and 14.

The '182 patent sensor, as well as the present invention disclosedherein, can not be conveniently used to measure any value of a varyingambient oxygen pressure. Instead these sensors can monitor whether theambient oxygen pressure is higher or lower than a selected specificvalue P₀₂,c (FIG. 6). In this respect, the sensor of this inventionbehaves similarly to the lambda sensor of the prior art (FIG. 1) usedfor stoichiometric A/F control, except that the "switch point" of thepresent sensor can be adjusted to be at any A/F value. That is, a newvalue of P₀₂,c or of (A/F)_(c) can be selected by changing thetemperature of layer 12 at the location of contacts 13 and 14 to theappropriate value.

Consequently, when the present sensor is used as an oxygen or A/Ffeedback control sensor, the feedback control is of the "limit-cycle"type rather than proportional control, similar to the stoichiometric A/Fcontrol systems based on the lambda sensor. In this limit-cycle control,the A/F ratio is ramped from a value lower than (A/F)_(c), to a valuehigher than (A/F)_(c) or vice versa, with the direction of the rampingdepending on the sensor output. When A/F passes through (A/F)_(c), thesensor signal changes from a low to a high value or from a high to a lowvalue as the boundary line 22 traverses (FIG. 5), correspondingly fromthe left to the right or right to left, and the electronic feedbacksystem is ordered to change direction of the A/F sweep. Consequently,the A/F oscillates between two A/F values, one lower and the otherhigher than (A/F)_(c), at a certain frequency called "limit-cyclefrequency".

The device of the present invention can be made in planar configurationsother than the one shown in FIG. 5. For example, a planar structure canbe fabricated similarly to the so-called planar ZrO₂ sensors, both thestoichiometric Nernst-type and 0₂ -pumping-based UEGO and LEGO sensors.In these sensors, a series of ceramic tapes made from ZrO₂ (and possiblyalso from other materials) having appropriate geometry (shape andthickness) together with planar heater and electrodes are pressedtogether and sintered at high temperatures to form the planar sensorelement.

Although planar geometry is a most convenient geometry for establishinga temperature gradient, more 3-dimensional embodiments can also be used.Also temperature distributions other than along a length of the sensingmaterial, as shown e.g., along the length of the sensing material layerof the embodiment of FIG. 5, may be used. Such other distributions areacceptable as long as they are such that both phases of the sensingmaterial exist, during active sensing operation, in the sensing materialseparated by a phase boundary line which moves through the detectinglocation, in the FIG. 5 embodiment being defined by spaced contacts 13and 14 which detect the transversal of the phase boundary line. Theseembodiments as well as others included within the present invention willbe apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment 30 according to the present inventionwhere the changing physical property of the sensing material beingmeasured is its optical absorption. Embodiment 30 is similar toembodiment 10 except that electrical leads, pads, and contacts (usedtherein for measuring electrical resistance) are not needed in thisembodiment 30 for operation of a sensor based on changing opticalabsorption. To measure the changing optical absorption, at some fixeddetecting small area of the sensing material through which the phaseboundary transverses, a small size circular or rectangular light beam 44of the proper wavelength from a light source 45 is directed upon andthrough this small area of the sensing material layer 32 preferably nearthe center of layer 32. The light transmitted through the sensingmaterial layer 32 and the substrate 31 is detected with a light detector46. In this embodiment, substrate 31 must be transparent to the lightbeam 46 but the substrate does not have to be electrically insulating aswith the first (resistivity measuring) embodiment described above.However, if the heating means 39 for providing the temperature gradientacross the layer comprises a metal coating, e.g., a printed metalliccoating as might be used as heating means 19 in the prior FIG. 5embodiment above, it would still be necessary to provide an electricallyinsulating substrate. It is also desirable that the heating means 39does not interfere with the optical detection of the associated sensormaterial phase change.

Limitations due to ion diffusion in the material (e g. Co ions in thecase of CoO) can be overcome by operating at sufficiently hightemperatures where the diffusion process is fast; and by using ceramicswith high porosity and very small grain size or by using thin films.Limitations in the speed of this phase change due to slow surfaceprocesses affecting the transfer of oxygen between the material and theambient gas can be minimized by, again, operating at high temperaturesor by adding on the surface of the materials catalytic particles (e.g.,Pt) which help the oxygen transfer.

Advantageously, according to the present invention, the limitations dueto the nucleation process can be minimized by operating the sensor sothat both phases are always present in the sensing material. This isaccomplished by establishing a temperature distribution along thematerial instead of maintaining the material at a constant temperatureas in prior art sensors.

Various preferred embodiments of the invention have now been describedin detail. In addition, however, many changes and modifications can bemade to these embodiment without departing from the nature and spirit ofthe invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention isnot limited to these details but is defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for detecting a change of oxygen partialpressure in an ambient atmosphere, said method comprising the stepsof:locating a sensor in contact with an ambient atmosphere containingoxygen, said sensor comprising:a sensing material present, during activesensing operation, in at least two phases defining a boundary linetherebetween, said phases being selected from metal and oxides thereofwherein at least one of the phases is an oxide phase which, when at anelevated temperature and exposed to a gas containing a changing partialpressure of oxygen, is capable of changing from one of the metal ormetal oxide phases to another such oxide phase and vice versa andassociated therewith a change of a measurable physical property thereof;maintaining a temperature gradient across said sensing material so as tomaintain said material, during active sensing operation, in at least twophases defining a boundary line therebetween generally perpendicular tothe longitudinal axis of said temperature gradient, said boundary linetraversing longitudinally along said axis in response to changes in theoxygen partial pressure of the ambient atmosphere; furnishing an outputsignal in response to traversal of said boundary line across a fixeddetecting location of the sensing material.
 2. The method according toclaim 1 wherein said physical property is selected from the groupconsisting of electrical resistance, mass, and optical absorption. 3.The method according to claim 1 wherein said sensing material has anaverage particle diameter of less than 10 microns.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 1 wherein the maximum difference in temperaturesacross the sensing material during sensing operation corresponds to aratio of the maximum to the minimum P₀₂ in the ambient during sensingequal to
 10. 5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said sensingmaterial is present in at least two of said phases defining a boundaryline therebetween perpendicular to the axis of the temperature gradientof said material.
 6. The method according to claim 1 where said ambientatmosphere is an automotive exhaust gas.
 7. The method according toclaim 1 wherein the traversal of said boundary line is detected througha change of optical absorption of said material, wherein said step offurnishing an output signal comprises providing a light beam onto saidsensing material at said fixed detecting location and a light detectorfor detecting the amount of light transmitted through the sensingmaterial.
 8. The method according to claim 1 wherein said fixeddetecting location is centrally located along said longitudinal axis ofsaid temperature gradient.
 9. The method according to claim 1 whereinsaid temperature gradient is maintained by heating means comprising anelectrically conductive material located in proximate location to saidsensing material and being connectable to a power source for maintainingsaid temperature gradient.
 10. The method according to claim 9 whereinsaid heating means comprises an electrically conductive material (a)electrically insulated from said sensing material, (b) located inproximate location to said sensing material, (c) and being connected tosaid power source for maintaining said temperature gradient.
 11. Themethod according to claim 1 wherein said traversal of said boundary lineis detected through a change of electric resistance of said material,wherein said furnishing step comprises providing spaced apart electricalmeans located within or on the same or opposing surfaces of said sensingmaterial for measuring electrical conductivity of said sensing materialtherebetween, which furnish an output signal in response to thetraversal of said boundary line between said electrical means.
 12. Themethod according to claim 11 wherein said electrical means are affixedto the same or opposing sides of said sensing material.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 1 wherein said sensing material is a layer depositedon a substrate.
 14. The method according to claim 13 wherein saidsubstrate is planar.
 15. The method according to claim 1 wherein saidsensing material is selected from a metal, a compound of two or moremetals, or oxides thereof.
 16. The method according to claim 15 whereinsaid metal is selected from the group consisting of copper, palladium,indium, ruthenium, rhodium, 3d transition metals, and rare earthelements.
 17. The method according to claim 1 wherein said sensingmaterial is present in two oxide phases defining a boundary linetherebetween perpendicular to the axis of the temperature gradient ofsaid material.
 18. The method according to claim 17 wherein said phasescomprise two oxides of cobalt: CoO and Co₃ O₄.